Celiac Disease: What it is, who gets it, and what can be done.
Often overshadowed by high profile food sensitivity issues such as peanuts, celiac disease doesn't get the publicity is deserves to inform parents of this debilitating ailment. About 1child in 300 is diagnosed with celiac disease (An allergy to gluten or bread products) according to the NASPGHAN Celiac Disease Guideline Committee. This disease is becoming more common and is thought to be under-diagnosed by many doctors. Here is what you should know if you suspect your child has celiac disease.
What is It?
"Celiac disease is a food sensitivity to gluten, which is protein found primarily in wheat, rye, and barley," says pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene. A way to judge the risk of having celiac disease is taking a look at your family history, since the disease is genetic. It has also has been found to be more common in children with diabetes.
Gluten is found in most processed foods. So it comes as no surprise that the symptoms of celiac disease become clear three to five months after a child first consumes these foods, typically between the ages of six months and two years, the common age for children to start eating processed foods.
Irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children, though other symptoms can be:
vomiting
failure to thrive
diarrhea
muscle deterioration
bloated belly
tiredness
irritability
It is also possible for some children to have no symptoms at all or a mixture of the above.
A child who is not diagnosed properly can go on to have osteoporosis, certain cancers, small stature, miscarriages, and other problems as an adult.
What Causes it?
Children who have celiac disease have an immune response to gluten that damages the lining of the small intestine. This flattens the lining of the intestine so it does not absorb and digest food the way it should.
What Can be Done?
A simple blood test can detect if your child has celiac disease. The blood test will show if your child has a IgA deficiency. It may be necessary to follow up with a endoscopy and small bowel biopsy if the blood test is inconclusive.
After a diagnosis, the disease is relatively easy to live with. Your child will have to return to their doctor after six months, then every year after to make sure that the he or she is growing properly.
Celiac disease is a life-long condition. The only way to 100% treat celiac disease is to feed your child a gluten-free diet at all times. Thankfully, gluten is not a dietary nutrient. Your child can still eat fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, milk, eggs, cheese, and breads that are marked as gluten-free. Be sure to stay away from processed foods such as chips, pastries, and crackers.
The copyright of the article Celiac Disease in Children in Early Childhood is owned by Alina Bradford. Permission to republish Celiac Disease in Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
My son is 9 months and I am feeding him stage three foods. According to the
article it say that one of the allergic symptoms is diarrhea. My son been
having diarrhea but;am not sure if its the new food we tried or is it
because he's teething. How will I know
Oct 9, 2008 4:28 PM
Alina Bradford :
I would check with your doctor.
Oct 18, 2008 11:59 PM
Guest :
my daughter is nearly three years old and had proven positive to celiac
however we have to wait until she has a biopsy before we commense gluten
free diet. As she is difficient in iron and vitamins our doctor has
suggested she take supplements for both, I'm just wondering if these will
affect biopsy results.
Oct 27, 2008 7:09 AM
Guest :
How late can the disease show up? at 10 years?
Nov 13, 2008 10:36 AM
Guest :
My son is 22 months old and has been having large stools and diarrhea for
the past 2 weeks. Could he have Celiac Disease?
Dec 4, 2008 8:16 AM
Guest :
Celiacs is largely a genetic disease, so if no one in your family has it,
chances are your baby won't have it, but not impossible I believe. My
mother in law did not start having symptoms until late adulthood and
subsiquently my daughter has been tested (she had digestive problems very
early in life other than celiac) and will continue to get tested
periodically throughout her life. If problems persist, contact your
pediatrician, and if you are still worried, contact a pediatric
gastrointerologist.
Jan 22, 2009 9:09 AM
Guest :
Will the blood test show the IgA response if the child has been following a
gluten free diet. Also does a child have to be on gluten for the biopsy to
be accurate?
Jan 22, 2009 9:18 AM
Guest :
Parents who are concerned about an infant should try being gluten free for
a month since it takes a while for this to completely get out of the childs
system. See if the little belly flattens out. Also if stools become more
normal or behavior or skin. You can always add it back in and watch for
negative effects as well. Removing gluten for a time can be helpful for
anyone as this is one of the hardest proteins for the body to digest.
Feb 12, 2009 7:48 AM
Guest :
I work for a private school; we have an incoming student for next fall with
celiac disease. The parent is insisting that we get ride out of paints and
glue products because they contain gluten. I thought that the problem was
ingesting certain foods since it's a malabsorbtion issue. Can you clear
this up for me?
Feb 24, 2009 1:29 PM
Guest :
This is more a question than a comment, to anyone who might be able to
answer. My grandsons been having stomach and bowels problems since birth,
they said that he was lactose intolerant, and had to be put on soy formula,
etc..he has suffered from constipation problems off and on since birth as
well, recently having gone almost 10 days without a BM, his dr. ran some
tests no blood that I know of, but said he could have Ciliacs Disease, and
told my daughter to try him on a Glutan Free diet, but I am now a little
confused as while reading up on some of the symptoms or signs for this
disease constipation isn't in there at all and other than the constipation,
the only other symptoms that I can say he showed slight traces of are the
bloated belly, buy only while he was really constipated, and irritablity,
and that was also when hes been severly constipated. Has anyone had, or may
happen to know someone whos child suffered from constipation and has been
diagnosed with Ciliacs?I am not a member of this site, so I will call
myself Concerned grandma, if anyone needs to or can send me any answers
regarding this question, Thank You so much before hand.
Mar 1, 2009 12:19 PM
Guest :
guest; i have a 3 year old daughter whom i was told a year ago had
celiac in her blood but a biopsay proved negitive she still has problems
can any one sugest any ideas if this is going to become full blowm
celiac
Mar 2, 2009 5:35 AM
Guest :
i suspect my daughter may have celiacs disease. My Dr has told us she needs
to have a blood test to confirm, however my daughter is petrified of
needles and has refused piont blank (she's six). Does anyone know of
any other way the disease can be confirmed? In the meantime we are
going to put her on a gluten free diet to see if there is any considerable
change!
Mar 3, 2009 6:54 PM
Guest :
My daughter is 7 and was diagnosed a few months ago.She had been to the
doctors since she was a baby with bowel problems. It took several doctors
and 6 years for them to diagnose her. All they needed was a simple blood
test. If you suspect your child may be suffering from Celiac ask your
doctor to test for it. I had never heard of Celiac Diease. No one in my
family has been diagnosed. I really wonder if it is genetic. Now because
she is 7 she is really having a hard time with the changes. It is heart
breaking!!!! She begs me to have Mcdonalds chicken nuggets just one more
time, or stuffing or hot lunch at school. So if anyone suspects your child
might have Celiac please talk to your doctor and have your child tested. I
believe the earlier the better.
Mar 3, 2009 7:01 PM
Guest :
To concerned Gramma. My daughter had the same symtoms as your grandson. I
heard every reason on why she is so constipated. I think we ended up trying
every laxative you could think of. This went on for years. A few months ago
she was diagnosed with Celiac. The belly pains and constipation has
improved a great deal. It won't hurt to have your grandson tested.
Constipation is a sign of celiac. Good luck!
Mar 15, 2009 9:35 PM
Guest :
There's a difference between gluten intolerance and celiacs. It can show up
at any age. I know people who it's showed up when they're 10, 18, 40, 80,
it depends. Sometimes the symptoms can go years and only be noticed when
the more serious side effects of certain types of cancers and seizures show
up. The symptoms are different for everyone. You don't have to have all of
the symptoms. But it is always good to check with a doctor and find out.
Yes, certain school products do contain gluten; for someone severely
celiac, they can basically be incapacitated when even exposed to a little
gluten (fall over with stomach pains). People can also experience no
symptoms at all- only 10% of celiacs and people with gluten intolerances
experience "classical symptoms". I can handle some gluten. Just
not a lot. It's all individual. Good luck. Read more: "Celiac
Disease in Children: The Overlooked Food Allergy" -
http://earlychildhood.suite101.com/article.cfm/celiac_disease_in_children#i
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Mar 18, 2009 4:03 PM
Guest :
To concerned grandma: Not having a bowel movement for 10 days and becoming
so bloated is not normal. I am not a Dr. but this reminds me of something
I saw in a medical show of a woman who's son had similar symptoms. The
dr's thought that he had a blockage but it turned out, after x-rays and
such that it wasn't. They took a sample of his lower intestine and found
out that he was missing some sort of cells that move the bowel movement out
of the body. He would have bowel movements but only after days of it
accumulating. I am not sure if this helps and I am sorry I can't remember
the name of the disorder or the cells but I remember it very clearly
because this poor mother could not get an answer from any pediatrician and
her son was always constipated, bloated and very irratable.
Jun 4, 2009 5:02 AM
Guest :
I am concerned about my 4 year old grandson. HE WON'T EAT anything, even
his favourite things. Irritability is is middle name these days and
mealtimes are horrible. His stools are enormous for a kid that only weighs
35 lbs. I have Celiac and so does a great-aunt. His parents are resistant
to any change and I am really concerned. Any advice or relevant websites
that I can pass on would be appreciated.
Jul 1, 2009 7:52 AM
Guest :
To Grandparent of the 4 year old. My wife has celiac and recently our son
who is almost 3 has begun to show symptoms similar to yours. Now we don't
have an official diagnosis but we are preping for bad news. I can't stress
enough that you need to somehow get through to his parents to have him
tested. You should google "development problems in celiac
children" and "behavior problems in celiac children" this
should supply a multitude of ammo to present to his parents. Hopefully
enough to at least get a blood test done.
